Loom



2 Sheets-Shetl LOOM F iled Dec. 16, 19:57

C. F. LIBBY Nov. 21, 1939.

I II c. F. LIBBY Nov. 21, 1939.

LOOM

2 Sheet-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 16, 1957 Patented Nov. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES LOOM Carl F. Libby,

steughzon. Mass.

Application December 16, 1937, Serial No. 180,185

8 Claims.

I 'This invention relates to shuttleless looms and more particularly to improvements in narrow-- web looms of the kind described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 127,884, filed 5 February 26, 1937. It is an object of the present .invention to simplify the driving mechanism of the loom so as to decrease the weight and cost of the machine, and to incorporate various improved features to enable the machine to operate satisfactorily at higher speeds and to turn .out a-more finished and uniform product.

Among such improved features are latchguards for use with knitting needles of the latch type, the guards serving to ensure the latches being 35 open when the needles are in position to receive .loopsfof the weft yarn. I

Another improvement is the provision of loopers at the sides of the warp to prevent distortion of the selvages by the weft yarn, partlzularly in 20 the weaving of the wider varieties of narrow webs. Furthermore, the breast beam of the Iloom is crowned or rounded to elevate the central portion of the web or fabric at the fell. This, in conjunction with pressers bearing on the newly 5 formed portions of the selvages, prevents puckering or gathering in the fabric and thus results in a fiat, uniform product.

Various other improved features are included in the mechanism hereinafter described, and :30 illustrated in the drawings of which Figure 1 is a partial plan view of a narrowweb loom embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a partial side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the working :35 parts of the needle reciprocating mechanism.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4--4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the pair of members which act as latch guards and loopers.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the shed showing the relation between a weft finger and a looper.

Figure '7 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Figure 1, modified for use with a spring type of knitting needle.

As indicated in Figures 1 and 2, the invention may be embodied in a narrow-web loom having a main frame 20 on which are mounted a set of heddles 22. The loom also includes a breast beam 24 at which the fabric is formed, the fabric passing over an idle roll 26 to be woundup on a takeup roll 28. The warp threads are led from a warp beam or other equivalent device (not shown) through shed-forming heddles 22 and between the dents of a stationary reed 30 to the breast beam 24. A pair of fingers 32 and 34 swing alternately through the shed from opposite sides thereof to project loops of weft yarn through the shed, each of these fingers having an eye 36 in the end thereof to carry-a weft yarn. To 5 catch the loops of yarn from the fingers 32 and 34, a pair of knitting needles are provided on opposite sides of the shed,'each needle taking the loops of weft yarn which are projected through the shed from the other side. Thus a needle 40, located on the same side of the shed as the finger 32, catches loops of weft yarn from the finger 34. In like mannena needle 42 mounted on the same side of the shed as the finger 34 takes loops of weft yarn from the finger 32. The needles 46 and 42 are reciprocated by suitable mechanism hereinafter described so as to knit each newly caught loop through the loop previously caught.

As each loop of weft yarn projected through the shed by one or the other of the fingers 32 and 34 is caught by one or the other of the knitting needles, the finger is qulckly withdrawn from the shed, such withdrawal being atonce followed by a beating-up operation by means of a rotary beatup mechanism consisting of a series of thin plates 44 which are mounted in parallel spaced planes on a shaft 46. As described and illustrated in my said co-pending application, the plates 44 are elongated and the contour of each is symmetrical with respect to the axis of the shaft 46. The end portions of each plate are each formed with an arcuate edge designed to approach the breast beam 24 as the plates revolve with the shaft 46. These end portions enter the rear or open end of the shed from below and sweep forward through the shed to the breast beam,'thus beating up the loop of weft yarn which has just been deposited in the shed by one of the fingers 32 or 34. The beat-up plates or dents 44 are spaced and arranged on the shaft 46 so as to register respectively with corresponding dents of the stationary reed 30. These stationary dents present arcuate, edges toward the beat-up member, the curvature of the edges being concentric with the axis of the shaft 46 so that the ends of 45 the rotating dents 44 pass very close to their respective stationary dents when they are entering the shed from below. Since the individual warp threads pass between successive stationary dents, each moving dent will enter the shed between the proper pair of warp threads even whenthe loom is being operated at high speed.

The shaft 46 is connected by a pair of gears 4. and 50 to a drive shaft 52 on which is mounted 5 able source of power (not shown).

The weft fingers 82 and 34 are each driven by a crank arm 69 which is mounted on a vertical shaft 62, each finger being pivotally secured to circular path described by the pivoted end of each fingercauses the opposite or eye end of the finger to describe a path which roughly resembles a quadrant of a circle and which is' described and illustrated in my said co-pending application. Each guide member 66 may be made with a transverse hole in which one of the weft fingers is slidably fitted, the guide member being rockable about a vertical axis.to take care of the swing of the finger as it is driven by its crank. Each vertical shaft 62 is driven through a pair of miter gears 68 and I9 by a horizontal shaft 12, the latter being driven by a pinion 14 mounted thereon, which meshes with a large gear wheel 16. The gear wheel 16 also meshes with a pinion 18 which is mounted on the drive shaft 52 and is of the same size as the pinion I4. Thus the shafts 46, 52, 82 and 12 all revolve at the same constant speed and synchronize the operation of the various working parts actuated thereby.

For the reciprocation of the knitting needles 49 and 42, each shaft 62 is provided with an eccentric 89 on which is an eccentric strap 82 connected to a rock arm 84 which is pivoted as at 86. The free end of the arm 86 is slotted as at 88 to receive the butt 89 of one or the other of the knitting needles 49 or 42. These parts are illustrated in Figure 3. It is evident from Figure 1 that rotation of each shaft 62 and the eccentric 89 thereon results in the rocking of the corresponding arm 84 and the resultant reciprocation of the corresponding knitting needle, the movements of the knitting needles being suitably related to the movements of the weft fingers so that each needle is projected toward the rear of the loom in time to receive a loop from the fingerwhich is projected through the shed from the opposite side. The needle is then retracted through the previously received loop, the latter being cast ofi.

For the production of a uniform product, it is important that the latches of the needles be open when the needles are moved into position to receive a loop from a weft finger. To ensure open latches on the needles when ifi'posltion to receive loops, suitable latch guards are provided. To this end, a pair of elongated plates 99 are mounted on the shaft 46 parallel to but outside of the reed dents 44, as indicated in Figure 1, so that portions of the plate project in opposite directions from the shaft 46. One end of each plate 99 is provided with a curved edge portion 92 adapted to prevent the latch of one of the knitting needles from closing as the needle is being projected towards its loop-catching position. This end portion of the plate moves out of the way as the weft finger moves across the end of the knitting needle to catch its loop thereon.

On the opposite end of each plate 99 is mounted an arcuate extension which may be a piece of wire 94 or its equivalent to serve as a looper. The plates 99 are approximately alined with the dents 44 of the revolving beat-up member, so that, immediately after the beating-up operation is completed by one set of ends of the plate 44, one

of the loopers 94 is then in the position illustrated in Figure 6, that is, projecting up from the fell of the fabric and adjacent to the selvage thereof.

a pulley wheel 94 connected by a belt 86 to a suit- The looper 94, by reason of its arcuate shape concentric with the shaft 46, has a portion in that position during the period when the weft finger on the same side of the shed is being projected through the shed to the other side. The

function of the looper is thus to prevent the projecting movement of the finger from'pulling the outer warp threads in toward the middle of the fabric. This prevents irregular puckering or gathering of the selvages, particularly in the wider widths of webs woven on narrow-web looms.

In order to insure against failure of a needle to engage its filling, the breast beam may be crowned as indicated in Figure 4, the surface of the beam being rounded from a high point I99 in the middle to low points I92 at the sides of the beam. This permits that portion of the" shed nearest tothe needle to be lowered, allowing freedom from interference with the filling at that time when it is engaged with the needle, and still maintains an equal pressure on the top and bottom of the filling finger as it passes through the shed. Cooperating with the crowned breast beam are a pair ofpressing elements I94 which bear resiliently on the selvages of the fabric at the fell thereof and thus hold the selvages from curling or puckering as they are being formed. The pressers or runners I94 are mounted on rack arms I96 which may be connected by a rod I98. As indicated in Figure 2, the arms 198 are pivoted at H9 and are acted upon by springs I I2 which tend to press the runners I94 resiliently against the selvages of the fabric.

The idle roll 26 is journaled in a bracket II4 which may also be pivoted-at "I I9 to rock so that the weight of the 'roll 28 may rest on the fabric which is being wound up on the take-up roll 28.

The take-up roll is driven by suitable means not illustrated herein but shown and described in my said co-pending application.-

Figure '7 illustrates a knitting needle I39 of the spring type which may be employed instead of the latch type of needle. This needle may be reciprocated by a rocking arm 84 as hereinbefore described. Cooperating with the reciprocating mechanism is a spring presser I32 which may project from the adjacent guide member 68, the guide member being rocked by swinging movement of the weft finger which slides therethrough to move the presser I32 into operative position to press the needle spring at proper times.

It is evident that various modifications and changes may be made in the particular embodiments of the invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a loom having shed-forming means, a pair of fingers on opposite sides of the shed for alternately projecting loops of weft yarn through the shed, a knitting needle reciprocable on each side of the shed for catching the loops from the opposite finger, a horizontal rotatable shaft, a pair of plates mounted on said shaft at opposite sides of said shed, each of said plates having portions projecting in opposite directions from the axis of the shaft, one said portion of each plate being arranged and shaped to cooperate with the knitting needle on the same side of the shed to hold the latch of the needle open when it is in position to catch a loop from a finger, the other portion of each plate having a looper element arranged to be adjacent to the fell of the fabric at one side of the shed when the finger on the same side is projecting a loop of weft yarn through the shed, and means for driving said fingers, knitting needles and shaft in timed relation.

2. In a loom having shed-forming means, a pair of fingers on opposite sides of the shed for alternately projecting loops of weft yarn through said shed, a knitting needle of the latch type on each side of the shed to catch and knit the loops from the opposite finger, a rotatable shaft having beat-up elements mounted thereon, a latch guard for each said knitting needle mounted on said shaft and movable into operative position when its respective needle moves forward to take a new loop of yarn, and means for driving said fingers, needles and shaft in timed relation.

3. In a loom having shed-forming means, a pair of fingers on opposite sides of the shed for alternately projecting loops of weft yarn through said shed, means on each. side of the shed for catching the loops from the opposite finger, and a pair of looper elements each cooperating with the finger on the same side of the shed and movable into operative position adjacent to the fell of the fabric when the corresponding finger is projecting a weft loop through the shed, and means for driving said fingers, loop-catching means and looper elements in timed relation.

4. In a loom having shed-forming means, a pair of fingers on oppositesides of said shed for alternately projecting loops of weft yarn through said shed, means on each side of the shed for catching the loops from the opposite finger, a

rotatable shaft having beat-up elements mounted thereon, a pair of looper elements mounted on said shaft and movable by rotation thereof into and out of operative positions at the respective sides of the shed and adjacent to the fell of the fabric, and means for driving the fingers, loopcatching means and shaft in timed relation so that each said looper element is in operative position while the finger on the same side of the shed is projecting a loop of weft yarn through the shed.

5. In a loom having shed-forming means, a pair of fingers on opposite sides of the shed for alternately projecting loops of weft yarn throughthe shed, means on each side of the shed for catching the loops from the opposite finger, a horizontal rotatable shaft beneath the shed, beatup elements mounted on said shaft and movable by rotation thereof up between the threads of the warp and forward to the fell of the fabric after each loop of weft yarnhas been projected through the shed, and a pair of looper elements mounted on said shaft at opposite sides of said shed to cooperate with the finger on the same side, each said looper element being arranged on said shaft so as to move into operative position adjacent to the fell of the fabric immediately after each loop of weft yarn projected from the other side has been beaten up, and means for driving said fingers, loop-catchers and shaft in timed relation.

6. In a loom having shed-forming means, a pair of fingers for projecting loops of weft yarn through said shed, stationary guide means at opposite sides of the shed through which said fingers are respectively slidable, a rotatable drive shaft for each finger, a crank on each said shaft pivotally connected to an end of the corresponding finger for actuation thereof, a knitting needle on each side of the shed reciprocable to cooperate with the finger on the other side of the shed, a rock arm connected to each said knitting needle for reciprocation thereof, cam means on each said shaft for rocking the adjacent rock arm, and

common drive means for rotating said shafts at the same speed. I

7. In a loom having shed-forming means, a pair of fingers at opposite sides of the shed for alternately projecting loops through said shed, a pair of knitting needles for catching the loop of each finger at the opposite side of the shed, and actuating means for said fingers and needles including a rotatable shaft on each side of the shed, crank means connecting each shaft to its corresponding finger, an eccentric on each shaft, an eccentric strap on each eccentric, a rock arm operatively connected to each said strap and the corresponding knitting needle, and common drive means for said shafts.

8. In a loom having shed-forming means, a pair of fingers at opposite sides of the shed for alternately projecting loops of weft yarn through the shed, means for operating said fingers including a guide member for each finger rockable about a vertical axis, a spring knitting needle adjacent to each said finger adapted to catch loops from p the opposite finger, means for reciprocating said needles, and a spring pressing element mounted on each said guide member for intermittent operative engagement with the spring of the adjacent needle.

CARL F. LIBBY. 

